New Zealand have beaten Fiji 3-1 to win the OFC U-16 Men’s Championship for a record ninth time at Stade Pater in Papeete.
Coach Martin Bullock’s side had been untroubled all tournament, and it looked like the result would be inevitable from the moment they went ahead in the third minute through a Nathan Martin strike.
Fiji had been beaten 7-1 when the two sides met in the group stages and though coach Sunil Kumar’s side rode their luck at times, they kept enough composure to keep New Zealand at bay.
In the 28th minute, Fiji were level, in extraordinary circumstances.
Farhaan Khan, from just inside New Zealand’s half, pumped a long free kick into the box. New Zealand goalkeeper Joseph Chalabi misjudged the ball, and it floated over his head into the back of the net.
Fiji had a sniff, and they came close to taking the lead when semi-final hero Veleni Rasorewa latched onto a long ball and used his extreme pace to get in behind the defence, but he fluffed his shot well wide.
Seven minutes before the break, Justin Cardoso headed just wide for New Zealand and the two sides went to the break level.
Both sides were reduced to 10 men when Fiji’s Veleni Rasorewa and New Zealand’s Nathan Martin were sent off by Papua New Guinea referee David Yareboinen in the 56th minute after a melee.
Five minutes later New Zealand regained their lead as Fiji failed to clear from a corner, Luke Brooke-Smith was on hand to nod the ball into the back of the net.
Cardoso then produced a fine reflex save from Fiji goalkeeper Isoa Latui, who couldn’t stop the striker two minutes later after getting in behind the defence and rifling a right-foot shot into the back of the net.
With the two-goal cushion, New Zealand could breathe easier, and they controlled possession for the remainder of the match to close out a deserved victory.
Main photo: New Zealand celebrate scoring in the tournament final. Photo credit: OFC Media / DJ Mills / Phototek.
Earlier, New Caledonia beat hosts Tahiti to claim third place at the tournament, and secure their qualification for next year’s FIFA U-17 Men’s World Cup in Qatar.
With New Zealand and Fiji, New Caledonia will represent Oceania at the 48-team global tournament.
READ MORE: New Caledonia to join New Zealand and Fiji at FIFA U-17 Men’s World Cup >>>>
Watch the highlights
The game was streamed live and free by FIFA+ who have produced a 2′ 30″ highlights package.
WATCH: Highlights from New Zealand U-16 men’s 3-1 win against Fiji >>>>
Acknowledgement
We are grateful for the help of OFC Media in providing information for this story.
Results
Games played on Sunday August 11, 2024 (NZT)
Final
New Zealand 3 (Nathan Martin 3′, Luke Brooke-Smith 62′, Justin Cardozo 67′)
Fiji 1 (Farhaan Khan 28′)
Play-off for third place
New Caledonia 1 (Fabrice Iopue 25′)
Tahiti 1 (Rohan Tereroa 64′)
*New Caledonia win 5-4 on penalties
READ MORE: New Caledonia to join New Zealand and Fiji at FIFA U-17 Men’s World Cup >>>>
This story was first published on August 11, 2024.
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